Extraplanars
Extraplanar is the catch-all term used to describe beings that come from outside Materia. Materia, as the Plane of Law, is unique in that speciation and divided races are the norm. In the other planes, form does not necessarily mean function, and individuals are not born in any manner that requires parents or a chain of events; people merely "are". As such, they do not distinguish between races, only loosely grouping each other based on their plane of origin and perhaps their personal levels of power and will. Since they do not distinguish, neither do the people of Materia who have the rare chance of speaking with them. The Outer Planes and Etheria are places of spirit, emotion, and magic, where time and space have little meaning and causation is limited only by the strength of an individual's will. Materians, bound by the laws of physics, nature and arcana, can only survive in these places with powerful magic. However, the reverse is true as well: extraplanars visiting Materia find themselves constrained in ways they never were on their home plane, forced to contend with the many passive inconveniences that Materians take for granted, like rigid causation, entropy, gravity and, most importantly, hunger. As beings of emotion, all extraplanars, excepting eidolons, have a particular personal attunement to a feeling; something that, when they are near another who is experiencing it, brings them a unique fulfillment, not unlike sustenance. In their home plane, this is nothing more than a preference, something that brings enjoyment and little else. On Materia, it is forced upon them like a need, and they are compelled to seek out Materians who can satisfy this compulsion for them, lest it begin to drive them mad like an undead who feeds upon the living. Most extraplanars quickly resort to manipulating Materians in order to provoke them into feeling whatever emotion will satisfy their need; due to their natural preferences for good, evil and chaos, this is likely what has painted the average person's conception of what angels, devils and fey are like. Between the addiction-like requirement for sustenance, the numerous inconveniences inflicted upon them, and Materia's subtle yet almost incontrovertible resistance to powerful intervention from non-Materian forces, the vast majority of extraplanars are more than happy to stay far away from the Plane of Law. However, through accident or design, extraplanars continue to periodically find their way into Materia; their visits are generally short and their presences often hidden, lending a mythical quality to these people in the minds of mortals. Extraplanars have physically little in common with each other, even others from the same plane. Further, they have malleable appearances, which will shift about to reflect their personal choices and alignments over time. Evil extraplanars will often possess features that Materians find frightening, cruel or violent, regardless of their plane of origin; likewise, good extraplanars have soft, regal or calming features. Materian animals seem to be able to sense extraplanars, regardless of any disguises they might take up. Highly domesticated animals, such as horses, dogs, rabbits, cats and other creatures with a long history tied to humans, react very poorly towards evil individuals, and often take an immediate shine to good ones. Angels Beings from Heaven, the Plane of Good, are referred to as angels. They are generally manifests of peace and benevolence, embodying some variant of the seven virtues of chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness, and humility. Devils Devils are beings from Hell, the Plane of Evil. Manifests of self-indulgence and conflict, they embody the seven sins of lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath, envy and pride. Fey Beings of chaos, fey are from Materia's sister plane of Etheria. Fey have perhaps the most variation, with individuals showing preferences for all manner of emotions: positive, negative and benign. These can be things such as satisfaction, glee, curiosity, paranoia and any other often-fleeting emotion. Figments, or Spirit Animals As on Materia, not all creatures in the other planes are sentient. However, neither are these creatures often completely lacking in faculty: many are capable of speech, magic and all manner of forms and abilities. However, they lack a certain will and direction of thought that true extraplanars possess: they exist as a function of their environment and nothing more. These beings, often called Figments or in some cases Spirit Animals, seem to be the planes' response to their own infinite and indeterminate space. They exist to fill a role, whether it be to sweep a floor or protect a river or to keep some candles lit; they have no context outside that role, have existed only as long as that role has, and will cease to exist when that role is terminated. Some have the appearance of sentience, as their role is to populate cities or tend to dungeons; some appear more likened to animals, with their role to populate wilderness. Figments can only be determined through interaction: a figment will have limited ability to communicate, understand and adapt, where a fey, angel or devil could. Category:Race